Corralitas Red Car Property: Mudwatch, Rainfall Totals

Video: Red Car Property Neighbor, January 20, 2017, 11:20 AM.  After the second of three storms dumped 1.5" of rain on the Red Car Property, this morning alone, Lake Corralitas was overflowing its banks and heading toward the LA River via the Corralitas Drive storm drain (the inlet is about 150' down the street from here).  

The Corralitas Red Car Property serves as a natural catch basin for the stormwater runoff from the very steep slopes rising hundreds of feet to the top of Silver Ridge Ave.  The rain also collects in Red Car Canyon and flows both north (toward Riverside Place and India Street)  and south (toward Corralitas Drive)

In the video, you can catch a glimpse of the predictable mudslides on the Red Car Property portion of the slope, particularly noticeable since LAFD brush contractors took out trees six months after the Silver Lake Fire. 

We're tracking rainfall totals in the Corralitas Drive rain gauge:
January 20, 2017: 1.7"
Rain year to date: 15.35"

Storm #3 hitting Sunday, is supposed to be the largest of the three this week.  Batten down the hatches!

Red Car Property: Mudwatch, Rainfall Totals

Photo: Red Car Property Neighbor, January 9, 2017.  Red Car Canyon Creek was flowing north out of the canyon this morning past Rose Scharlin Nursery School.  

We're tracking rainfall totals in the Corralitas Drive rain gauge.

January 9, 2017, 11 AM: 0.8"
Rain year to date: 9.25"
 

Red Car Property: Mudwatch, Creek Flow

Photo: Red Car Property Neighbor, January 5, 2017.  The swamp just north of Rose Scharlin Nursery School has always been mudtastic in the rain. (Click on photos to enlarge.) 

We'd only had a half inch of rain before these photos were shot today.

Photo: Red Car Property Neighbor, January 5, 2017.  Not only is the swap/vernal pool fed by the run-off from the Lake View Ave slope side of the Red Car Property, it's also fed by a portion of Red Car Canyon Creek.  While it's hard to see in this photo, if you've ever actually walked the property in the rain, you'll see the water flowing out of Red Car Canyon in both directions: north toward India Street and south toward the 2 Freeway.

Red Car Property Lot C: Mudwatch, Creeks, Stormwater Flow

Photo: Red Car Property Neighbor, December 24, 2016.  You can see the motor oil and other black stuff around the edges of the many deep puddles on Lot C.  (Click on photos to enlarge.)

Photo: Red Car Property Neighbor, December 24, 2016.  Lot C Creek drains down toward India Street where it meets up with Red Car Creek (originating as Upper Red Car Canyon Creek), flows down India Street, then makes its way down to Riverside Drive.

Photo: Red Car Property Neighbor, December 24, 2016.  Red Car Creek was not deterred by the City's paving of the vernal pool at the India Street entrance to the Red Car Property.

Today, City of LA laying asphalt in the vernal pool on Private property: Red Car Property at India St, 3rd time this month @MitchOFarrell pic.twitter.com/0JX9fYZ4GC

— Corralitas (@RedCarProperty) December 21, 2016

Yesterday, I received an email response from a representative of CD13 responding to my email inquiry including a neighbor's photos regarding the City's paving of the Red Car Property this week:

"Street Services is investigating this issue and should be getting back to us shortly. We're [the City] is not in the business of placing asphalt on private property so you can be assured that this won't happen again."

Red Car Canyon Lake: Vernal Pools

Photo: Red Car Property Neighbor, December 24, 2016.  Red Car Canyon Creek flows in both directions out of the canyon between Lake View Ave and Corralitas Drive, filling the vernal pools.  In 2005, we had so much rain, giant tadpoles hatched in the canyon's vernal pools.  (Click on photos to enlarge.)   

Just a couple of weeks ago, brush clearance was done by LAFD contractors.  Responsible Hillside property owners have their brush cleared by May 1.  The brush and some trees on Lake View side (on the left) burned in the June 19, 2016 Silver Lake Fire.  LAFD stopped it before it destroyed homes.  Neighbors want to know why the brush was not cleared, nor the owner even cited, by May 1.

Photo: Red Car Property Neighbor, December 24, 2016. Red Car Canyon is at the base of a very steep hill going all the way up to the top of Silver Ridge Ave, including some of the steepest terrain in Silver Lake. Water drains to the lowest point on the slope, then out to the sides: both north and south on the property, as well as down to Riverside Place.

Photo: Red Car Property Neighbor, December 24, 2016.  Despite fire, developers, drought, tree butchery, it still looks like a park. The native trees should recover well with 5" of rain in the past month.  Just watch your step.
 

Red Car Creek: Flowing From The Red Car Property To Riverside Drive

Photos: Jonathan Vandiveer, January 5, 2016, all before 10:15 AM.  Red Car Creek flowed north from runoff of the hills above (Lake View and Silver Ridge) toward India Street.  "The heavy rain had stopped about 15 minutes before I took these pictures, just some light rain at the moment," Vandiveer wrote in an email.  "Not as dramatic as it could have been."

If you think there is not a lot of water in the next few photos, skip down to the last one -  Riverside Drive at Allesandro Elementary School.

From the Red Car Property, the stormwater flows from the Red Car Property onto India Street.

India Street is lucky to have sidewalks on both sides of the street, as it is much steeper than it photographs.  India Street is only a block long, east of the Red Car Property, where it ends at Riverside Terrace.  There are no storm drains on India or Riverside Terrace.

From Glen Eden the stormwater continues downhill taking a quick left from Riverside Terrace onto Glen Eden.  Glen Eden is a very steep street that is the only way to reach not only a large number of homes in the neighborhood, it is also the only way to drive into both parking lots at Allesandro Elementary School.

Every time it rains, water and mud collect at Riverside Drive and Glen Eden.  The storm drains are not well placed for moving the water off the street.  The mud usually doesn't get cleaned up quickly either, creating a dangerous situation when cars try to drive up hill even once the rain stops.  

If you see blocked stormdrains, call 311.  According to the mayor, in a press conference today, they will be answering 24/7 this week, for storm drain emergencies, if you listen to the prompts.  You can also try this link on the City's website.

It's going to be a long El Niño year.  Send us your rain related photos from the Red Car Property neighborhood: redcarproperty@gmail.com
 

Red Car Creek: Rainfall Totals, Stormwater Trivia

*Photo you missed this year...

Photo: Diane Edwardson, September 15, 2015.  Are you ready for El Niño rains?  Know where stormwater runs through your property, like this creek that flows down the Red Car Property to India Street from Lake View.  (Click on photo to enlarge.)

Little known fact: there's a old cistern, half on private Lake View Property, half on Silver Lake Court, an unbuilt City street right-of-way west of and adjacent to the Red Car Property.  

LAFD offers sandbags, and sand at specific fire stations. See the LAFD website for details.

Rainfall totals as collected in the Corralitas Drive rain gauge:

December 21 - 22, 2015: 0.25
Rain year to date: 1.07" 

*Stuff You Missed This Year is our annual wrap up of interesting photos and things we just didn't have a chance to run, because everything seems to always happen at the same time.
 

Red Car Property: Updated Rainfall Totals

**Correction 12-11-15: updated season to date rainfall totals

Photo: Diane Edwardson, September 15, 2015.  If you look closely, you can see where a stream ran from the puddle, to the canyon* canyon to the puddle (from the lower left corner of the image.)

We're tracking rainfall totals in the Corralitas rain gauge we got another 0.1": by midnight yesterday:

September 15, 2015: 3.0"
**Year to date: 15.17"

*9-16-15, Correction: Thanks Jonathan.  Yes, the water flows both ways out of Red Car Canyon.  The high point in the canyon is where the path from Riverside Place meets up with the Red Car Property.  I apologize for any confusion this may have caused.

**12-11-15: Normally, the rain year would have ended June 30.  However, this year California joined the rest of the country, and will report rainfall totals between October 1 to September 30.  Who expected to have significant rain between July 1 and October 1?  There will always be an asterisk next to the 2014-2015 rain year. 

Red Car Property: Mudwatch, Almost 3" Of Rain This Morning!

*Correction 12-11-15, rainfall season to date total

Photo: Diane Edwardson, September 15, 2015.  After nearly 3" of rain fell this morning, the Red Car Property was surprisingly walkable.  The vernal pools of Lake Corralitas, fed by Red Car Canyon Creek, returned.  We'll post more mudwatch photos later today.  It's going to be a long rainy season.

We'll be tracking rainfall totals once again in the Corralitas Drive rain gauge.  

*Normally, the rain year would have ended June 30.  However, this year, California joined the rest of the country, and will report rainfall totals between October 1 to September 30.  Who expected to have significant rain between July 1 and October 1?  There will always be an asterisk next to the 2014-2015 rain year.

September 15, 2015: 2.9"
*Season to date: 15.07"

Red Car Canyon Creek: Mudwatch, Rainfall Totals

Photo: S. Bartron, April 7, 2015.  After 1/4" of rain in 2 hours this afternoon, Red Car Canyon creek was flowing from the Silver Lake Ave Public Staircase toward India St.  The asphalt pedestrian path crosses the Red Car Property.  (Click on photo to enlarge.)

Bartron remarked, "Compacted soil not absorbing water very well, but nice to see the little river."

Rainfall totals as collected in the Corralitas Drive Rain gauge as of 8 PM:

April 7, 2015: 0.3" 
Season to Date: 10.2"

Red Car Canyon Creek Flows North & South

Photo: Jonathan Vandiveer, December 12, 2014.  One of the oddities of the Red Car Property is the creek running out of Red Car Canyon flows both north (photo above: behind Rose Scharlin Nursery School) and south. (Click on photo to enlarge.)

Lower Red Car Creek: Drying Up By Yesterday Afternoon

Photo: Jonathan Vandiveer, December 12, 2014. Friday morning, Lower Red Car Creek flowed south out of Red Car Canyon, feeding vernal pools in the Canyon & the southern end of the Red Car Property.  (Click on photos to enlarge.)

Photo: Gary Vlahakis, December 12, 2014.  By early afternoon the creek slowed to a trickle.

Photo: Jonathan Vandiveer, December 12, 2014,  A wider swath of water flowed out of Red Car Canyon in the morning.

Photo: Gary Vlahakis, December 12, 2014.  Vlahakis wrote, "Amazing it isn't complete mush as usual.  Could actually still walk it early afternoon."

Photo: Gary Vlahakis, December 12, 2014.  The Red Car Canyon Lakes were still pretty good sized vernal pools, so it's best to tread carefully through the canyon.

Red Car Canyon: Lower Red Car Creek

Photo: Diane Edwardson, February 24, 2011.  After big rainstorms & throughout El Nino years, Lower Red Car Creek flows both north & south out of Red Car Canyon.  (Click on photo to enlarge.)

The adjacent steep hillsides drain to the Red Car Property.  

Related: Red Car Creek 
"Lot C" Creek 


We've been looking at cooler & greener days on the Red Car Property for some relief from the extreme heatwave we're currently in.

Red Car Property: "Lot C" Creek

Photo: Diane Edwardson, January 21, 2010. Torrential rain washed all the soil from "Lot C" Creek bed last week. (Click on photo to enlarge.)

Red Car Creek

Photo: Diane Edwardson, January 23, 2010. Recent rains have Red Car Creek flowing near India St. again. (Click on photo to enlarge.)

Record rainfall in 2005 had Red Car Creek flowing from Red Car Canyon to Corralitas Drive and to India St. on the Red Car Property. In 2005, the creek caught the attention of at least one Blue Heron who's flight path routinely crossed the Red Car Property between the LA River and Silver Lake Reservoir. For several weeks while the creek was flowing, the heron changed his course dramatically and followed the creek from Corralitas to India before heading toward the reservoir.